By Susan Egbert

“It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” aired on Netflix June 20, 2020 and finished on Aug. 9, 2020. This drama series is not like the typical K-drama (Korean drama) that is currently out there. There are topics brought up in the storyline and the cinematography that is quite unique and yet it was still able to have comedic moments. The main actors/actresses in this drama are Kim Soo-hyeon as Moon Gang-tae, Seo Ye-ji as Go Moon-young, Oh Jung-se as Moon Sang-tae and Park Kyu-Young as Nam Ju-Ri. The story follows Go Moon-young, a popular but antisocial children’s story writer, and Moon Gang-tae, an orphaned caregiver who cares too much about the people around him. As the series progresses, the audience watches their journeys from childhood to adulthood.

The reason why this is so unique is that this drama goes into great depth about mental health. South Korea is conservative when it comes to topics about mental health and getting care for it is not the easiest. Despite the younger generation advocating for awareness, it is still a topic that is not brought up unless there are dire circumstances. Yet, this drama takes an admirable risk by talking about some of the common themes of mental health that are plaguing South Korea today.  

The first arc is about Go Moon-young and her antisocial personality. It’s almost ironic how she is such a popular children’s story writer and yet she’s antisocial. In the drama, you can tell how she’s antisocial based on her actions and how she perceives people. Don’t worry though, there is a good backstory behind this. The next arc follows Moon Gang-tae, who has been raising his autistic older brother, Moon Sang-tae, ever since they became orphans. This is a personality to identify with as Gang-tae has been sacrificing what he can in order to care for both him and his brother. Lastly, the topic of how it is to be mentally challenged in South Korea is portrayed through Moon Sang-tae. Sang-tae was the only one who witnessed the murder and developed an irrational fear of butterflies.

The cinematography switches from storybook style to fantasy settings to real-life. The storybook style to real-life is the common switches that are made throughout the series. This provides the audience with a visual of different stories that cannot be easily conveyed when it’s just a character telling the story to the audience. Additionally, certain “fantasy-like” elements were added to emphasize what the characters were feeling in the beginning to bring some comical relief.  

This drama can evoke a wide array of emotions from the viewers. The series can be comedic one moment and then deep and heartfelt in other moments as the characters are experiencing their life while reliving the past. All the episodes are up on Netflix, so if you are looking for a new show to binge-watch, I would definitely recommend this one.

Susan is a culture writer for La Tonique.